Ravens Edge the Colts, and the Vikings Shut Out the Packers

Joe Flacco threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns and Justin Tucker kicked three field goals as the Baltimore Ravens moved a step closer to securing a playoff berth by beating the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 23-16, on Saturday.

The Ravens (9-6) scored on their first two possessions and held off the skidding Colts (3-12) through a windy, rain-soaked second half.

Baltimore can reach the playoffs as an A.F.C. wild card by defeating Cincinnati at home next Sunday. The Ravens, who are seeking their first postseason berth since 2014, have won five of six games after a 4-5 start to the season.

Indianapolis made it tough on Baltimore, closing to 16-13 in the third quarter before Flacco threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Maxx Williams with 8 minutes 40 seconds remaining.

The score was 23-16 when Anthony Walker blocked a Ravens punt, giving the Colts the ball at the Ravens’ 27 with 2:36 left. Indianapolis moved to the 10, but a third-down sack and a fourth-down incompletion ended the comeback bid.

Flacco, who completed 29 of 38 passes, has thrown seven touchdowns and just one interception over his last four games.

The Colts have lost six in a row for the first time since 2011, when they opened at 0-13. That was the year before they drafted quarterback Andrew Luck, whose absence this season with a shoulder injury has contributed heavily to the team’s slide into the A.F.C. South cellar.

Luck’s replacement, Jacoby Brissett, completed 16 of 33 passes for 215 yards, and Frank Gore had 68 yards rushing and a touchdown catch for Indianapolis. Also, the Colts did not commit a turnover against the Ravens, who lead the N.F.L. with 33 takeaways.

The Colts’ Adam Vinatieri kicked three field goals, but he had one blocked and came up short on a 60-yard try at the end of the first half.

Vikings 16, Packers 0

The visiting Minnesota Vikings shut out an opponent for the first time in nearly a quarter-century, beating the injury-depleted Green Bay Packers, 16-0, on Saturday night to stay in the hunt for a first-round playoff bye.

The Vikings’ Stefon Diggs caught a 4-yard pass from Case Keenum just inside the back line of the end zone in the first quarter for the only touchdown. Minnesota (12-3) has already clinched the N.F.C. North and can secure a bye if Carolina loses or ties against Tampa Bay on Sunday.

The Vikings forced an incompletion in the end zone on fourth-and-4 from the 14 early in the fourth quarter to turn away the Packers’ best late effort to get into the end zone. Safety Harrison Smith ended another promising Green Bay drive with an interception at the Minnesota 5 in the second quarter.

Diggs finished with five catches for 60 yards, and Keenum was 14 of 25 for 139 yards.

The Vikings left Lambeau Field with their first shutout since a 13-0 win over Detroit on Dec. 5, 1993. It was their first shutout of the Packers (7-8) since Nov. 14, 1971.

The Packers managed a 239-236 edge in total yardage, even as they were shut out for the second time this season. The Ravens beat them, 23-0, on Nov. 19.

The Green Bay lineup often looked like one that Coach Mike McCarthy would send out late in a preseason game.

Packers quarterback Brett Hundley was 17 of 40 for 130 yards with two interceptions, as he again filled in for Aaron Rodgers, who returned to injured reserve last week after already missing seven games with a collarbone injury.

The Packers did not have their leading receiver, Davante Adams, who is in the concussion protocol, and they lost wide receiver Jordy Nelson and tight end Richard Rodgers to shoulder injuries in the first half.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page SP6 of the New York edition with the headline: Ravens Edge Colts to Stay in Wild Card Hunt. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe